Mel tries to convince Joe of his importance to her and the family after she learns that he has been looking for another job.

Melissa and Joe are both happy in their new relationships, until they discover they are dating a divorced couple. Meanwhile, Lennox decides to get a tattoo after her boyfriend Zander forbids her and Ryder is surprised to find he actually misses school.

Joe paints Mel into a corner, forcing her to get him a job at City Hall with fellow City Council member Paul. Once there, Joe gets wrapped up in another potential financial scandal, leading to all sorts of headaches for Mel. Meanwhile, Lennox is torn between her boyfriend Zander and her hot co-star in the school play, Archer.

Joe dates his chiropractor following a back injury, and he doesn't want to rush their new romance. Elsewhere, Ryder and Zander team up to work on a graphic novel, but the project hits a sour note when Lennox becomes their editor.

Mel's childhood friend, Austin, moves back to Toledo, and he and Mel quickly take their old friendship to a new level. But Joe starts to think that Mel and Austin may in fact be related, and schemes to break them up. Meanwhile, enterprising Lennox sells ads on her blog to earn extra money, but is horrified to discover her first sponsor may participate in unfair labor practices.

Joe accidentally injures Mel's boyfriend, Austin, during a competitive game of pool. Mel accuses Joe of doing it on purpose to ruin her romantic weekend getaway. Meanwhile, Joe invites a nerdy kid to join Ryder in his home school studies, and Lennox takes to psychoanalyzing everyone in the house.

Mel is taken aback when she finds out that Austin may not share her vision of their future and is resolute in his belief he never wants children. Meanwhile, Joe's new girlfriend is only interested in a physical connection, which leaves him confused and wanting more in the relationship. And, Lennox can't motivate herself to write her college entrance paper, so she hires Ryder to be her full time babysitter until she does.

After Joe convinces Mel to dump her needy friend Anita, he secretly starts dating her. Meanwhile, Lennox gets super competitive and becomes determined to beat Zander’s test scores. And Ryder is bummed when all of his friends delete him from their social media sites.

Mel desperately wants to be the cool aunt after she discovers that Lennox has taken her relationship with Zander to the next level, but Joe just wants to kill Zander. Meanwhile, Ryder's naïve girlfriend Keira is impressed with his undeserved bad boy reputation, but he discovers her parents are not.

Mel and Joe are invited to co-host a week of “Good Morning Toledo” which Mel thinks will help her earn voters. Their constant bickering on air garners rave reviews with the audience and they’re an instant hit. But when the secret to their popularity turns out to be talking a little too personally about Lennox and Ryder, they have to decide if fame or family is more important.

When his apartment needs to undergo emergency renovations, Mel invites her new boyfriend Noah to temporarily move in with her, accelerating their relationship.

When Joe and Ryder sell Mel's old belongings, they inadvertently sell a very personal item of hers. Desperate to reclaim her property, Mel and Joe turn to crime to get it back. Meanwhile, Lennox's new pen pal is eager to meet her in person, after his release from prison.

Joe works out an alternative payment plan when he begins dating the mom of one of his students, which unintentionally earns him a reputation among the other mothers in the neighborhood as a tutor-prostitute. Meanwhile, Zander and Lennox decide to skip college and drive around the country in a motor home – which doesn't sit well with "cool" aunt Mel. And Ryder introduces his vegan girlfriend to the joys of meat.

In failing health, Joe's grandmother Sofia begs him to come visit her one last time for her birthday, and to bring his beautiful wife Tiffany along. Since Joe never got around to telling "Nona" he and Tiffany got divorced, he's forced to beg Mel to pretend to be his trampy ex. Soon, Joe and Mel are on the road to Jersey with Lennox and Ryder tagging along.

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Mel's sister, Meredith (Jaime Pressly), comes home from prison on furlough to celebrate Christmas with the kids and Mel, and seems unruffled by Joe's obvious animosity towards her. Note: this episode is a Christmas special and was only put in after EP15 because it was near Christmas. Episode 15 ends on a cliff hanger and is continued in episode 17.

Mel's sister Meredith comes home from prison on furlough to celebrate Christmas with the kids and Mel, and seems unruffled by Joe's obvious animosity towards her.

Joe rushes home to tell Mel that he has feelings for her after their romantic night together in New Jersey. When he arrives, he's shocked to find Austin has shown up and wants to give his relationship with Mel another try. Deciding he can't stay and watch them fall in love all over again, Joe quits. Meanwhile, Lennox plots to get Joe and Mel together and Ryder gets sick from his own cooking.

Mel insists on Joe "courting" her, but soon becomes frustrated at their lack of time together. Desperate to spend time with him, Mel sneaks over to his new digs, where he works as a live-in nanny, risking getting him fired—for a second time in as many weeks. Meanwhile, after witnessing a robbery, Ryder expects a hero’s welcome, but is horrified to discover that his interview with the local news has been turned into a viral video called "I Peed My Pants."

Mel joins an exercise boot camp to lose weight before an eight-course meal; Joe clashes with a celebrity chef; Lennox and Zander try to sell their Internet series.

Mel takes Joe to a work dinner. Upon meeting the press, Joe starts to spout his—and Mel’s—opinions on issues, which garners Mel bad press. Meanwhile, Ryder musters up the courage to ask his new Chem partner Stella out on a date.

Mel adopts a dog despite knowing that Joe doesn't want one, then feels ignored when he forms a bond with the pooch; Ryder spends time with Stella's daughter.

Mel gets a reluctant Joe to agree to couple’s therapy to work on their constant arguing. But she’s completely caught off guard when the therapist turns out to be Joe’s ex-girlfriend. Meanwhile, Lennox is conflicted about dating her Teaching Assistant after Zander shows up on her porch.

Mel and Joe have a fun game night with married couple Nate and Gillian, whom they hope to remain good friends with. But then Nate tells Joey a big secret…that Joe in turn tells Mel…who then tells Gillian… Meanwhile, after flunking out of art school, Zander shows up begging Ryder to let him secretly hide out in the basement without Lennox knowing.

Lennox moves out after Mel forbids her from dating her teaching assistant; Ryder is stuck at the Canadian border when he can't find his passport.